Revelation and the Bible
We believe that God has graciously revealed His existence and power in the created order; and that God has supremely revealed himself to fallen human beings in the person of his Son, the incarnate Word, who is now revealed to us in the written Word. We believe the Bible to be the Word of God; that its sixty-six books, as originally written, were fully and verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and were entirely free from error and have been providentially and reliably preserved for us. We believe that when the Bible speaks, God speaks; and that God speaks clearly in His Word so that by His Spirit the true meaning can be understood. We submit to the Bible as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice, as the standard of truth for every domain of knowledge to which it speaks, and as the true basis of Christian union. “The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain and infallible rule for saving knowledge, faith and obedience. …The whole revelation of God concerning all things essential for His own glory, human salvation, faith and life, is either explicitly set down or implicitly contained in the Holy Scriptures. …The supreme judge by which all religious controversies are to be settled…can be none other than the Holy Scriptures. In the verdict of Scripture, our faith is finally determined.” (Rom. 1:19-20; Heb. 1:1-4; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4,21; Matt. 12:3,5; Jn. 8:31-32; 17:17; 20:31; Ps. 119:105; 1 Cor. 2:7-14; Heb. 4:12; 1 Thess. 2:13; Mark 13:31; Acts 20:32)
The Trinity
We believe that “the Lord our God is the one and only true and living God,” the triune God, Creator of all things visible and invisible; that He is sovereign, eternal, and infinitely perfect in both His holiness and love, His greatness and His goodness, and thus worthy of all praise and adoration. We believe that our one God exists eternally in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe these three Persons of the Trinity are equal in every divine perfection, while performing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. “This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and [our] comfortable dependence on Him.” (Gen. 1:1,26; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; Jn. 1:1-3; 4:24; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3-14; 4:5-6; 1 Pet. 1:2)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, who orders and sustains all things according to His own sovereign, wise and good purposes to redeem a people for Himself and restore His fallen creation, to the praise of His glorious grace. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and eternal death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Gen. 50:20; Ps. 103:19; 135:6; Isa. 46:10; Dan. 4:35; Acts 2:23; 4:28; Rom. 8:28-29; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 1:20; Rom. 8:18-25; 1 Pet. 1:2-3)
God the Son
We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence with the Father in pre-incarnate glory, in His virgin birth, true humanity, sinless life, and His miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His triumphant ascension, His ongoing intercession for us, His headship over His body the church, and His personal, visible return to this earth to reclaim His own, to reign on the throne of David and to judge all men. He is the only Mediator, our Prophet, Priest and King, uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections and is therefore in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all sufficient Saviour. (Matt. 1:18-25; Jn. 1:1-3,12,14; 20:28; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 15:1-19; Jn. 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Isa. 9:6; Lk. 1:31-33; Matt. 25:14-46; Jn. 5:22-23; Acts 17:30-31; Heb. 2:18; 4:14-16)
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who was sent by Christ to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe the Spirit of God, the “other” Paraclete (Helper, Advocate), was sent to illuminate, regenerate, comfort, teach, indwell, revive, sanctify, seal and empower believers and to supply spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. (2 Cor. 3:17; Jn. 3:5; 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:8,13,14; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 1:11-14; 4:7-16)
Satan
We believe that Satan is an evil personality, a created but fallen angel, the author of sin, the arch-enemy of God, and the great deceiver of man. Yet Satan is also a defeated foe through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and he will be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Gen. 3:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:6; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Pet. 5:8; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
Man and sin
We believe that God created man in His own image, male and female, giving to human life an inherent sanctity (from conception). We believe God made man holy under the law of his Maker; but man voluntarily transgressed the command of God and fell from that holy and happy state. As a result of Adam’s sin, the whole human race was plunged into sin, guilt and ruin, so that all people deserve death spiritually, physically and eternally. We believe all mankind are sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration; and that man is radically depraved in all areas of life and is spiritually dead and utterly incapable of pleasing God or saving himself, and thus is hopelessly lost unless God intervenes. The greatest need of humanity is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand; the only hope for humanity is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us and restore us to Himself. (Gen. 1-3; Jam. 3:9; Eccl. 2:11; Jn. 3:14, 18-19,36; Rom. 1:18-32; 3:10-23; 5:6-10; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3)